


You Don't Have To Hide Away

by Nixie_DeAngel



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Compliant, Dooku but doens't go back to Mother Talzin, First Meeting, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Savage's mind becomes his own and he escapes, Speed addition of enemies to friends, Stranded, Stranded Together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:15:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28103055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nixie_DeAngel/pseuds/Nixie_DeAngel
Summary: Not that it really mattered. Not truly. Because he was still only waking, and he couldn’t remember how he’d gotten here.Whereverherewas.
Relationships: Savage Opress/CT-5385 | Tup
Comments: 4
Kudos: 27
Collections: Star Wars Rare Pairs 2020





	You Don't Have To Hide Away

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nadiavandyne](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nadiavandyne/gifts).



* * *

Savage wakes to warmth at his front, but a frigid cold at his back. It’s the first clue he isn’t alone, when he _should_ be. So, he keeps himself still, his breathing even. 

The pod he’d used to escape the Invisible Hand had crashed on a barren planet. He knows, or _thinks_ he knows that much. There’d been a terminal on the starship he used to check the planets nearest to the Hand. He’d debated, for only a moment, before he’d set about crashing as many systems as he could before racing off to a pod. 

He remembers watching the explosions as he sped away. He vaguely recalls how the pod rocked, hit by one of the guns — a lucky shot. How it’d been thrown off course from heading towards Geonosis, where he’d been intending to land and hopefully steal a ship and escape for _good_.

Only.. only he’d been sent veering off course and heading towards… somewhere.

But it’s the last thing he can remember, because… because he _thinks_ his head had been slammed against one of the durasteel walls. Maybe it’d been when the pod had been hit, or perhaps it’d been when the pod hit the atmosphere of whatever this planet was. Or maybe he’d been awake during the entry but had been rendered unconscious when the pod had crashed into the surface.

Not that it really mattered. Not truly. Because he was still only waking, and he couldn’t remember how he’d gotten here.

Wherever _here_ was.

“You don’t have to pretend to be out of it still,” a voice calls, sudden but softly. It’s rough, like it doesn’t get much use, or maybe there’s another reason. 

Savage stills at the sound. Doesn’t move, just keeps still and debates with himself. His hands nor feet are bound, so whoever had brought him(?) here doesn’t seem to mean him harm. 

Not that he _believes_ that. 

Not after all he’s seen. 

Not after all he’s been made to do in the name of masters he’d rather rub through with his saber. 

So, he keeps still and quiet, waits for whoever to make the next move. 

It’s a short beat before the voice speaks again, “Or you can keep pretending if you like. I don’t mean you any harm. Promise.”

He can’t help but let out a snort as he finally cracks his eyes open enough to peer around. He spots the fire first — it’s just a few paces from where he’s curled up on his side — and blinks to rid himself of the dots flashing around as his eyes adjust from dark to sudden brightness. Shifting, he tilts his head to the side and freezes as his gaze lands on the white plastoid-alloy of trooper armor and goes still once again. 

He can feel the force gently glide along his spine, as if attempting to sooth him, to say there was no danger to be found here.

“Going to collect my bounty?” he spits out, all rage and fire. He growls from deep within his chest as he makes his limbs move — tingly and numb in equal parts — pushing himself to sit up, so he was at least on a little more even ground with his most likely capture. “Or curry favor with the Count by bringing me back for him to kill?” He sneers, teeth bared. 

But the man neither scrambles away, or reaches for his blaster. Instead, the clone — Savage can see his face, knows he’s face to face with one of the millions that makes up the GAR — the man just lets out a soft snort, and smiles at him, all small and warm as he nods towards the pot heating over the fire. “Neither,” he says, quietly. “There’s food, if you’re hungry at all.”

Savage stays like that, teeth bared and lips curled up into a snarl, for a moment longer before he finds himself deflating. He sniffs once, finds the aroma of the found not bad at all, but holds off on getting any until he sees the clone himself gather some and begin eating. 

He lets the silence settle, glancing at once another as they eat from beneath lashes and out the corner of their eyes. Eventually though, Savage finds he has to _know_ . To know _why_ this clone, this man, would go through all the trouble to save _his_ life. Surely this man must know what Savage’s been made to do, both to the Jedi and to his fellow troopers.

“Why?” he asks, breaking the silence before they can finish eating. He watches as the man’s eyes go big and round, head tilting to the side as if he’s confused on _why_ Savage would demand to know his motives. “You must know I’m wanted by your Republic.”

“Actually,” the other starts, uncertain, before he closes his mouth, biting at his lip as if he needs to think about how best to say what is clearly on his mind. “Actually, some, uh, some things have recently come to light that has put your actions in a new light.”

Brow furrowing, Savage finds he’s tilting his own head in confusion. He watches the other fiddle with his bowl and spoon for a moment, before gruffly demanding, “Explain.”

“You, you’re aware that the GAR was, _is_ made up of clones, correct?”

He nods once, because he’d learned that bit while back on Dathomir still. 

“Recently it was brought to the Jedi’s attention that when we, well when we’d been, well before we were decanted, that the long necks had placed chips in our heads,” he explains in a rush. In his fiddling he drops the bowl from his hands. He jumps as it clatters against the stone of the cave’s floor. “Sorry,” he mumbles, face flushing as he bends to pick it up, and moves to pace it, and the spoon, off to the side.

Clearing his throat, he moves to wipe his palms against the black material stretched across his thighs. “Once the chips had been discovered, and what they were doing, what they could _make_ my brothers and I do. Well, it prompted one of the General’s to look at your sudden appearance as Count Dooku’s apprentice, and your subsequent attacks in a new light. 

Blinking once, then twice, Savage stares. “How?”

“One of the chips malfunctioned,” he says, eventually, soft and full of self loathing. “Was made to fire at one of the Generals.”

Oh, Savage thinks,  _ oh _ . Oh this man was made to do something horrible. Or, was  _ almost  _ made to do something horrible. So he knows, he gets it. Gets part of what Savage is thinking, is feeling now that his mind is his once again. 

“Oh,” he breathes, softly and watches the way shame darkness the man’s face, the way he hunches in on himself. “But why are you  _ here _ ?”

“The Jedi, the Generals, don’t want word getting out about them  _ knowing _ , because they’re hoping to lure out the Sith Master, they think is pulling the strings,” he explains, voice firm and certain. “I’ve been tasked, because I can’t trust myself and the Jedi are understandably a little iffy, with a blaster in the war, to go find my brother’s that… that slipped away, and make sure they get de-chipped. To ensure whenever, or if ever, the Sith Master tries to turn the chips on, to control us, they aren’t caught in the crossfire.”

He shifts, giving Savage a small smile. “Was just lucky, seeing your pod crash and finding you before slavers or the raiders did.” 

He blinks slowly. “Do you require help in this endeavour?”

“Well. I mean, I wouldn’t mind some company,” he says, his eyes wide and curious. “Normally I travel with a few brothers, but it’s easier for us to spread out, to cover more planets that way.”

Nodding once. “I am in need of passage off this planet. And I cannot go back to Dathomir, nor do I wholly agree with your Republic.” Shifting, he moves to place his own bowl off to the side. “But your cause is. It is right,” he rumbles low. “I would like to help you accomplish it. To save your… your brothers.”

“That would be lovely,” the man smiles, big and bright  — and  Savage can’t help but think  _ oh _ when he sees it  —  “That would be lovely.” He stands, shuffling around the fire and holds out his hand, waits until Savage reaches out slow and tentative to clasp it. “I’m Tup.”

“Savage,” he rumbles, low and soft, and panics for a moment at the softness, the smallness, of the man’s hand wrapped in his. “Savage Opress.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm Nixie! You can find me where I post the things I [create](https://nixies-creations.tumblr.com/), or at my main blog [here](http://nixie-deangel.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
